A Fresh Take on How to Love God With All Your Heart
Morning opens her mouth with a foggy breath, and the earth cups the grey mist in its lowest places. I sit by the window and get lost in the glory of it all. I begin most days in this spot, and as I lean into the mist this morning, my mind is full. Maybe you can relate. You want to love God with all your heart, but you tend to forget all about him as your mental clutter pulls you away.
As I sit in the silence, I’m thinking about writing projects, the weekly dinner menu, the grocery list, my son’s spelling test, and when I’m going to find time to help my daughter write the paper she’s been asking about. My plate feels full today.
You have your own version of a full plate. Take a moment to consider your “plate.” Your plate is filled with everything you do throughout the average week: family commitments, your job, meeting with friends, volunteer work, church commitments, and more.
Jesus is probably somewhere on your plate as well. He might be squeezed onto the corner where you keep church, your weekly Bible study group, and maybe even this blog.
Let me begin by saying that I’m so glad Jesus is on your plate. This is a great start. But it’s not the final destination.
How to Love God With All Your Heart
You might expect me to challenge you to view Jesus as the main course on the plate of your life. Instead, I have a radical suggestion: Don’t view Jesus as the main course on the plate of your life; instead, ask him to undergird every part of your life, and remind yourself Jesus is the plate holding your world together. Jesus wants to be your foundation. He wants to be the uniting force upholding everything you undertake.
Jesus wants to be your foundation. He wants to be the uniting force upholding everything you undertake. #Jesus #EncounteringGod Click To TweetScripture tells us that the most important command is to love God with all our strength. Luke 10:27 reads: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (NIV).
Have you ever wondered how to give God every ounce of your love while also loving your friends, family, and the many people in your life?
The image of a full plate can help us understand what it looks like to love God with our whole hearts while also loving the people he places in front of us. When a loving relationship with God is the foundation for our lives, we become His vessels. The love we pour onto others is no longer our own human love; instead, it is the overflow of the love God first offered us.
Here’s the most beautiful aspect of this imagery: The more you love God, the greater your capacity for loving others will become. God wants to be the source of the love you carry to others. Make him the foundation of your life, and he will equip you to be his vessel of love to the world around you.
An Invitation to Imagine the Plate of Your Life:
Take a few minutes and envision a plate representing your life.
What activities and commitments fill your plate?
How does your perspective change when you imagine Jesus as the foundation for everything you do—the plate holding your world together?
Your Invitation to Love God With All Your Heart Today:
Before you begin your day today, silence yourself in the Lord’s presence. Spend a moment letting your mind settle and quiet. Thank him for being with you, and rest in the awareness that he loves this time with you.
After a few minutes of resting with the Lord, imagine walking through the predictable events of your day. Imagine what it will look like to stay plugged into God’s love as he pours his love through you onto others.
Consider the way you will interact with the most difficult people in your life as you stand on the foundation of God’s love. Envision the warmth of his love flowing through you onto these people. Now, ask him to fill you to overflowing as you step into your day and live out this vision. Remember, he goes with you always.
A Free Devotional to Help You Love God With All Your Heart and Love Others:
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Calling All Mothers and Daughters!
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